How are we supposed to protect ourselves when large organizations let out private information get stolen? When will the US get smart and start making changes to protect us against hackers? Our lives, our security, is at risk. It's happened again. This time it was China who declared cyber warfare against us. And, they weren't playing around. They struck Community Health Systems, 206 hospitals in 29 states, gathering private information from 4.5 million victims.
In N.C., the hospitals include Davis Regional Medical Center, in Statesville; Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, in Mooresville; Martin General Hospital in Williamston; and Sandhills Regional Medical Center in Hamlet.
Stolen information from patient records include names, addresses, social security numbers, birth dates, and phone numbers. If you were seen or referred to the hospital in the past five years you should expect a notification.
But, be proactive and put a fraud alert on your credit report. The national credit reporting companies keep records of your credit history. If someone has misused your personal or financial information, call one of the companies and ask for an initial fraud alert on your credit report. A fraud alert is free. You must provide proof of your identity. Make sure the company you call tells the other two companies about your alert.
The initial alert stays on your report for at least 90 days. You can renew it after 90 days. It allows you to order one free copy of your credit report from each of the three credit reporting companies. Be sure the credit reporting companies have your current contact information so they can get in touch with you.
Credit Reporting Companies
| Equifax 1-800-525-6285 | Experian 1-888-397-3742 | TransUnion 1-800-680-7289 |
No comments:
Post a Comment